Adventures of a TCK
by Wrenlovesreading
Summary: Tris Prior and her brother Caleb are TCK's, or third culture kids; kids who have grown up all over the world. Her family is currently vacationing in Nairobi, Kenya. Tris loves adventure and exploring, as does her father. Read to find out about Tris' adventures with elephants and her quarrels with family.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

**A/N**

**So, I'm back. Hopefully. If this even gets written. I wanted to start writing again, I know I took a long break but school is literally killing me. I was rereading some of my old stories, cringing like crazy, when I suddenly got a good idea. I wanted to write a story about traveling. I don't want to give too much away, but we'll see if it turns out good. Doubt many will read this, but we'll see. Enjoy.**

All around me is trembling. People afraid, worried we're going to die. Me, I'm trying to get my headphones to not make my ears fall off while simultaneously trying to pay attention to my movie. As we take off, I hear gasping. Worried little whimpers from grown adults or little kids. I've been on too many airplanes to be scared though, I'm more fascinated at how my stomach dips as we take off. I crane my neck to try to watch the ground get smaller and the clouds become our neighbors. I suddenly feel someone shoving me, trying to move me out of the way

"Tris, move your head. I can't see my movie, you're in the way. And get off of me! You never let me lay on you, so you can't lay on me." I just miss the bird flying next to Caleb's window, which is dangerous but beautiful. I wish I was a bird. "Bea! Get off!"

"Beatrice, get off of your brother please." With a huff, I move back into my own seat just in time to see Starr meet eyes with Khalil. My mother is sitting in front of my brother and I, my father next to her. He's usually the one trying to maintain peace, my mother the one who screams at us when we get too loud. He must be asleep.

"I just wanted to see the view, we're in an airplane. You can watch your movie anytime."

"We're always in airplanes, this is the 10th one this year." He's right, we're in planes more than we're in our house. My parents are diplomats, which doesn't necessarily mean we're always flying but they like to travel as much as they can. We're on our way to Kenya this time, my parents aren't going to take us to tourist traps though; we're going to places only locals know. My dad grew up taking trips all over Africa, so he's almost like a local. My mom met him in Windhoek while she was doing volunteer work. It's safe to say my parents are awesome. My brother and I are US citizens but we never really visit. My parents don't want us to be in a place like the US, they don't think it's a bad place, they say it's just full of people who are close minded and rude. They want us to be open minded and caring, curious and creative. We live in Uganda, so it should only be an hour or so flight. We've lived all over though. We've lived in a few Asian countries, a few in the Caribbean, and a few African countries.

"I know, I know." I nudge him with my shoulder, giving him a little smile. He barely returns it before going back to his movie. My brother and I both are in 8th grade both 12 years old. He's only three minutes older than me, but try telling him that. About an hour later, with only minimum turbulence and tons of tears from seeing Khalil die, we land. Of course everyone claps, which makes my brother and I cringe, but we're overall excited.  
"Andrew, Andrew wake up." My dad wakes up slowly before getting up fully to grab our small carry ons. Most of our stuff is in our carry ons, which isn't much at all, so we don't have to wait in baggage claim. Like I said, we travel a lot. After what feels like hours of going through the airport, we finally walk through the doors and into Kenya, officially Nairobi. To pass the time I kick the bottom of my brothers feet, trying to make him trip. It gets on his nerves but it's always funny

"Hey, stop, dad make her stop." He's a big whiner, if you couldn't already tell.

"Kids, stop. Your mom and I are already stressed. Please be good for a little bit ok." I get bored standing around waiting for the car to show up, so I decide to explore. Caleb is reading a book somewhere so there's no way he'd come with me if I were to ask him to come with me. Beside the airport is a beautiful field filled with delicious smelling flowers. I walk around it for a few minutes, looking around and thinking. Nearby I hear squaking, based on the research I did before we left I think it's a horn bill. Or maybe a crow. Or a raven. I've never been good at doing research, that's always been Caleb's thing.

"-RIS! TRIS! BEATRICE!" Nearby I hear screaming, my name being screamed. It must be time to go, or my parents think I was kidnapped. I'm not worried though, my parents are chill. "WHERE THE HELL WERE YOU TRIS? WE'VE BEEN LOOKING FOR YOU FOR AN HOUR?" Well that's a bit of an exaggeration I've been gone for 20 minutes. "OUR CAR IS GONE, WE HAVE TO WALK TO THE HOTEL NOW!" That's not actually true we can take a bus or hitchhike. "LET'S GO WE'RE ALL HOT AND ANGRY." We end up taking a bus to our hotel where everyone falls asleep angry and tired. I think about the birds that night. And the flowers, which were very pretty. I definitely saw carnations. Maybe some dandelions. I can't wait for tomorrow, my dad and I are definitely going to explore; he loves to explore a place when we first get to one. Hopefully it'll go better than today did.

**A/N**

**Ok so yea this chapter is bad. It's going to get better, this was more of an introduction chapter. I'm honestly not sure what this is going to turn in to, I might not even continue it, so don't get attached. I have ideas…but they're all shit soooo. If you happen to like this pilot chapter, maybe give me some ideas. Because all of mine are terrible. But whatever, maybe I'll come up with some good ones. I like the idea of birds and flowers in the story though. *shrug* whatever. We'll see what happens with this pile of crap of a story.**


	2. Chapter 2

**So, here I am. Back again. I moved to a different country in Africa, so I have some experience with the country. I'll be writing about the experiences I've had, though I've never been to the country that Tris and Caleb are currently in. I had an idea from the beginning of this story that I thought was garbage, because it kind of is, but I like it so I'll go with it. This story only got one review so who cares at this point. I'm excited, so here goes. Enjoy :)**

My dad and I always get up before everyone else so we can scope the place out to show the rest of our family later on. Caleb acts jealous but won't wake up early with my dad and I when we offer the next day. At around 5 am, I walk out of my room to find my dad sipping coffee and reading the newspaper. He slides me my bowl of oatmeal as I sit down so we can enjoy the morning in peace and quiet. Our air bnb is very nice, we have a great view of the outdoors that I enjoy as I eat my breakfast.

"So, where are we going today?" My dad looks up at me over his newspaper and smiles mysteriously. He holds it up a little higher to cover his face, confusing me momentarily before I see the elephant on the back of the newspaper. "No way! We're going to see elephants!" I can barely contain my excitement, I've never seen a non captive elephant before so the idea of seeing one is making me want to scream. My dad silently smiles, shushing me with a finger to his lips.

"Yes, we're seeing elephants today. It's just going to be us today, we can scope it out to see if your mother and brother would like it. It's a sanctuary for elephants who need help but are ultimately allowed to go back into the wild." Once again, I get overly excited and need to be shushed. Millions of thoughts rush through my head, am I going to meet a baby elephant? Are they going to like me? Are they going to hate me and kill me? Am I going to be able to touch them? What if there aren't any elephants because they're all fine? What if they aren't all that I had hoped they'd be? What if I'm disappointed? But I'm reassured by my dad who tells me that it's going to be amazing and that I should have zero doubts in my mind otherwise. We pack food and water for the long road trip ahead, leave a note for my brother and mom and get into the car. It's a long road trip, about two hours, but it's filled with good music and food we get along the way and back and forth banter.

"Are we almost there?" I ask for the millionth time. I see him smile and point to the building in front of us; National Kenya Elephant Sanctuary.We finally made it. Finally. I excitedly get out of the car and rush in, and after a long process of signing stupid papers we get to go in and see elephants.

* * *

They're better than I expected.

What I see as I walk in is volunteers hosing down elephants as they roll in dirt, some feeding them bananas and others playing by themselves. They're giant but beautiful; with leathery grey skin and wiry hairs along their body. I'm even allowed to touch them! It's all outside, with no pens for them to live in; it's all nature, all freedom, all beauty. We're greeted by a volunteer with two elephants near her. The park is huge, a dirt road leads to a gate with a huge building surrounded by huge trees that look very old and beautiful. After you get past the building you see all the elephants eating or being taken care of. It's absolutely beautiful, I couldn't be more blown away.

"Hi, welcome to the National Kenya Elephant Sanctuary. I'm Tori, and this is Enkidu and this mother Arythma. He's our youngest elephant that we have at the sanctuary. You're welcome to feed them bananas or apples, they love fruit. You can touch them as well they're very friendly; just be respectful and they won't hurt you." My dad and I approach slowly with food in our hands. The baby is around as big as I am and very curious. I feed him an apple which is happily takes from me. I touch his trunk which is very rough and hard. I feel a surge of happiness as he wraps his trunk around my hand, almost as a greeting. His mother is huge; bigger than anything I'd ever seen before. She allows my dad and I to touch her as well after eating a bunch of bananas given to her by my dad.

"Enkidu is almost a year old, he's our pride and joy here; a sign of the growth of the population." Tori leads us around the sanctuary, as does Enkidu who never leaves my side. His mom follows behind, but lags, seeming to trust me with her child. Tori notices, smiling whenever she turns around. "He seems to like you. He never really bonded with any of the volunteers, but he's seemed to have bonded with you rather quickly." I stop to touch his trunk which he seems to like since he grabs my arm back. My dad smiles, taking out his phone to take a picture of the adorable moment.

"Why did Arythma come into the sanctuary? Is she ever going to back into the wild?" I ask, never taking my eyes off the small elephant.

"She got caught in a snag about a year ago. We found her and took her back here to fix her foot but realized she was pregnant. We kept her here till she gave birth and plan to let her go as soon as Enkidu is a year old. Were contemplating keeping him as an ambassador of his species. If we do, we'll keep his mom here until he's old enough to be away from her." My brow furrows, not liking the idea of keeping Enkidu away from his family. The sanctuary is a good place for temporary care, but keeping an elephant out of its natural habitat and away from his family seems inhumane. Before I can open my mouth my dad exclaims that we should go see more of the sanctuary, giving me a look that says not to say anything. I give him a questioning look back but he ignores it. Tori leads us to other parts of the area, eventually having to ask another volunteer to lead Enkidu away from me with food since he won't leave my side. I wonder why he bonded with me so quickly? I feel strangely bonded with him as well, not wanting him to leave my side.

* * *

When we eventually leave the park, we drive in silence for a few minutes before my dad talks to me.

"Tris, you need to learn when you can speak and when you can't. In the case of professionals making plans about animals they're caring for you need to keep your mouth shut. You can ask questions, but you can't tell them they're wrong or that their ideas aren't morally correct. Do you understand?" I'm not used to being scolded by my father so I don't know what to say at first. I want to tell him that I think that Enkidu should be released with his mother instead of living with strangers, that he should live free instead of being shipped around as an ambassador for his kind to be shown around to people who pay to see elephants in captivity for fun. Being an ambassador for a species like elephants usually entails living in zoos for the rest of your life, being shipped from one place to the other. Enkidu doesn't deserve that; no one does. But all I do is nod my head, looking out the window, silently holding back tears. There's nothing I can do; he's not my elephant, not my responsibility. Is what I should think. But I don't.

**A/N**

**I'm actually getting excited to write this story. I like where it's going and have big plans. This won't get a lot of reviews, if I'm lucky I'll get one, but I'm still excited to write it. I can't wait for the next chapter.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey so I'm back! The last chapter got one review, one more than I was expecting! Thanks TobiasFailsAtWriting. I have a solid plan for this story but that doesn't mean it'll get finished so the one person who is reading this story shouldn't get attached. If I decide not to finish writing it I'll give you my plan and how I'd finish it so you can put it together yourself if you care that much. I only write when I have no wifi and am dead bored so it's gonna be pretty often XD So...here's the next chapter...to the one person who's gonna read this story...enjoy.**

The rest of the ride back is quiet and awkward. I can tell my dad feels bad for yelling at me but I know he isn't going to apologize; I don't know what I'd say if he did. Caleb is as usual whiny and annoying when we get back, complaining that he wanted to see elephants too and that we should have woken him up. I just roll my eyes and let my dad handle it because I know if I get in a fight with him I'm going to cry.

"Bea? Are you ok?" I nod, not saying anything. I walk back to my room and slam the door, thinking deeply about Ekindu and his predicament. How am I going to save him? We're going to be going back to the sanctuary so I can look around and plan it then. An elephant that beautiful and special does not belong in a cage; he needs to be with his mom in the wild. I need to free him. But how?! Knock knock. "Bea?" I roll my eyes again, it's Caleb.

"Caleb get out. I'm naked."

"I'm not an idiot Tris. What's wrong? Wasn't seeing elephants amazing?" Much to my chagrin he sits on my bed, all sappy like. I hate sappiness, especially when someone wants to 'talk' to me about a serious topic. It grosses me out.

"Caleb, they have a baby elephant with his mother. They want to send him to a zoo to be an ambassador of his species! They want to separate them! I'm pissed, I need to save them!" He frowns at me, thinking for a second.

"Isn't that a good thing, having an ambassador of an endangered species? It makes people want to save them, especially if it's a cute little baby. These are experts, no? Don't you think they know what they're doing? They'd treat him well, I'm sure." He just doesn't get it. He doesn't understand that Enkidu is special and belongs in the wild. How do I make him get it?

"Caleb, you don't understand. Enkidu is special! He doesn't belong in some zoo to be gawked at! NO ONE UNDERSTANDS! Just get out!" I throw a pillow at him, needing to be alone. My father scolded me for having an opinion and my brother thinks I'm selfish and stupid. He doesn't argue, probably thinking I'm on my period or something. When he leaves I don't cry; I refuse to cry. I can't be weak in this time of need. In his time of need. He felt the connection I did, he bonded with me as if he knew his fate and knew he needed help. He knew I would help him, I just need to figure out how.

We go back two days later a little later in the day to allow my mom and brother to wake up. I'm beyond excited to see Enkidu, and I'm hoping Caleb will have a change of heart when he meets him and his mom.

I'm right, he's absolutely in love with the elephants.

Along with cooing over them, he's also happily picking Christina's brain about all of the elephants. I drown them out with Enkidu's sweet sounds, when he first saw me he ran towards me and grabbed my arm which made everyone laugh. I tune back in when I hear Christina say the words I've been dreading.

"Enkidu is going to be turning one in a few days, and we found a suitable zoo for him to go to who's going to make sure he's well taken care of and will make people aware that his species is under attack. And yes, a year is a little early to separate a baby from his mother but the zookeepers will bottle feed him until he's weaned and will be great substitutes. This may be the last time you see Enkidu, so make it count you guys." Wow, how great. You're taking a too young calf from his mother for a good reason in a bad way. I suppress an eye roll because I can feel my father staring at me. I look back to Enkidu, stroking his trunk, silently promising him that I will save him.

On the car ride home Caleb can't stop spouting off elephant facts he learned, as though we weren't there with him when he heard Christina say them.

"Did you know elephants are pregnant for two years before they give birth? Did you know elephant moms will reject their baby if they seem too weak to survive? Did you know that male elephants will kill babies to get another chance at mating with a female?" Eventually I put my music on and drown him out. I smirk knowing he's 100% in on saving Enkidu. When we get home, that is validated.

"Tris, I have a plan. It's a really good plan; I'm smart so you should listen to me…" Wow, what a jerk.

**TO BE CONTINUED! Yeah, no one's reading this story but I wanted to make it interesting for me when I reread this story when I'm bored. There is probably going to be like 2-3 more chapters, not 100% sure yet but I think so. This is not a good story but I like writing stories where I can relate to them and I'm basically Tris. It's fun to write Caleb as an asshole because I hate him. So...thanks to TobiasFailsAtWriting for being a reviewer, one of two, and I love your stories so it's cool that you decided to read one of my shitty ones.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Yay! I'm back with a finale! I wanted to introduce Tobias in SOMEWHERE and had this idea months back but only decided to write it now. There might be another chapter, we shall see. Thank you to all who have read this, I really do love writing even when it's just for fun with silly ideas. **

"While you guys were with the elephants, I explored a bit and found a tribe of people near the center. One kid came up to me and introduced himself as Tobias and after I told him your predicament, he told me him and his people had heard the same news and were trying to figure out how to help Enkidu, too."

The fact that my brother sneaked off to try to help me when he knew that I was upset is shocking, but also that someone else is trying to help Enkidu. That's enough to make my jaw drop and tears well in my eyes

"Someone's going to save him? His mother too?" He nods his head, looking away, as uncomfortable around emotion as I am.

"He promised that they were going to release them, if they could get them out, near where their family was when they were rescued. Arithma is ok to be released and loves her baby, so they'll be fine on their own." I smile and hug my brother, who can be a pain and very annoying, but who loves me as much as I love him. He loves me enough to talk to complete strangers about an elephant who bonded with me and needed our help.

_Knock Knock. _Oh shit.

"Kids? Are you ok?" I shoot a look at Caleb, silently asking if he thinks our father heard what he just said. He shakes his head, telling our dad that we're ok and will be out in a minute.

* * *

Dinner is silent that night.

I know my dad wants to say something to me, about Enkidu most likely, but he says nothing. Instead we eat our food without making eye contact or making any type of conversation.

"Beatrice, I know you're upset about Enkidu and his mother, but you need to realize that 1. It's not your responsibility and 2. It's for a good cause. His species is under attack, and having a baby as an ambassador for his species in America will make people realize and fight for them. Yes, he will be separated from his mother, but think about the bigger picture; millions of elephant lives saved because of all of the exposure he will bring to the problem at hand."

"If humans were going extinct, and giving me away so you would never see me again to live life in a cage being gawked at would save our species, would you do it? Would you give me up in order to save the human race?"

"Beatrice you're being ridiculous."

"Am I? That's basically what you're saying. Taking him away from his MOTHER at ONE YEAR OLD to live the rest of his life in a cage to be stared at instead of living free with his mother and family. Does that sound right to you?" I storm off to my room. My father is completely delusional if he thinks what that sanctuary is right. All I can do now is hope that Tobias and his people can save him, because obviously no one else sees how wrong they are.

**A/N**

**You can kind of see a bit of how young Tris is by her last comment of everyone being wrong because she's right and no one else can be right. I try my best to give characters something that makes them realistic, I may not be a good writer but I try my best. Yes, this chapter is short but I'm lazy and don't have any other ideas. I like the idea of having two sides to a story so you can choose which side you think is right, as there is no wrong answer and good arguments for both sides. Which side are you on? Obviously I'm on team Tris...but there is no wrong answer. Tobias might be in the next chapter, I have no idea yet. But, if you liked this review and make me happy. **


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